In 1942, following a surge in the number of American women who
accepted jobs during
World War II, the National War Labor Board urged employers to voluntarily pay
male and female workers equal wages, “adjustments which equalize wage and salary
rates paid to females with the rates paid to males for comparable quality and
quantity of work on the same or similar operations.”

Job ads continued to discriminate between male and female workers, with
newspapers publishing separate listings for men and women. Ads would openly
state, “Help Wanted – Male,” or “Help Wanted – Female,” with differing pay
scales addressed by gender, even for positions that were otherwise equal in
quality and quantity of work. Higher paid positions were almost exclusively
offered to men. In the 1950s and 1960s, women earned on average 59 to 64 cents
for every dollar their male counterparts earned, while working within the same
jobs, positions and companies.

To prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by
employers engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce. June
10, 1963 [S. 1409]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Equal Pay Act
of 1963,". Equal Pay Act of 1963.

DECLARATION OF PURPOSE

SEC. 2. (a) The Congress hereby finds that the existence in industries engaged
in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce of wage differentials
based on sex--

(1) depresses wages and living standards for employees necessary for their
health and efficiency;
(2) prevents the maximum utilization of the available labor resources;
(3) tends to cause labor disputes, thereby burdening, affecting, and obstructing
commerce;
(4) burdens commerce and the free flow of goods in commerce; and
(5) constitutes an unfair method of competition.

(b) It is hereby declared to be the policy of this Act, through exercise by
Congress of its power to regulate commerce among the several States and with
foreign nations, to correct the conditions above referred to in such industries.

(d)(1) No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section
shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are
employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in
such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to
employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs the
performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which
are performed under similar working conditions, except where such payment is
made pursuant to (i) a seniority system; (ii) a merit system; (iii) a system
which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or (iv) a
differential based on any other factor other than sex: Provided, That an
employer who is paying a wage rate differential in violation of this subsection
shall not, in order to comply with the provisions of this subsection, reduce the
wage rate of any employee. 29 USC 206.

(2) No labor organization, or its agents, representing employees of an employer
having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall cause or
attempt to cause such an employer to discriminate against an employee in
violation of paragraph (1) of this subsection.

(3) For purposes of administration and enforcement, any amounts owing to any
employee which have been withheld in violation of this subsection shall be
deemed to be unpaid minimum wages or unpaid overtime compensation under this
Act.

(4) As used in this subsection, the term 'labor organization' means any
organization of any kind, or any agency or employee representation committee or
plan, in which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole
or in part, of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes,
wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions of work." "Labor
organization."

SEC. 4. The amendments made by this Act shall take effect upon the expiration of
one year from the date of its enactment: Provided, That in the case of employees
covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement in effect at least thirty
days prior to the date of enactment of this Act, entered into by a labor
organization (as defined in section 6(d)(4) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938, as amended), the amendments made by this Act shall take effect upon the
termination of such collective bargaining agreement or upon the expiration of
two years from the date of enactment of this Act, whichever shall first occur.
Effective date.

According to the
National Committee on Pay Equity: The Maryland Department of
Labor's Report of the Equal Pay Commission (issued September 30, 2006) revealed
"wage gaps based on both gender and race in the State, particularly in the
private sector." The Commission was assisted by the Institute for Women's Policy
Research, which conducted a study on wage disparities in Maryland. IWPR
reported: "More than one-fifth of the difference in women's and men's earnings
cannot be explained by differences in their education, potential work
experience, job characteristics, or other measurable factors."

Women's earnings in 2005 (the most current data reported at the time of this
article - 2007) were 77% of men's, leaving the wage gap statistically unchanged
from the previous year, while wages declined for the third consecutive year for
women and the second consecutive year for men. Based on the median earnings of
fulltime, year-round workers, women's earnings were $31,858, a drop of 1.3%, and
men's earnings were $41,386, a drop of 1.8%, according to revised 2004 data.
Median earnings for women of color continue to be lower, in general, than
earnings for men as a whole. In 2005, the earnings for African American women
were $29,672, 71.7% of men's earnings, and for Latinas $24,214, 58.5% of men's,
both slight gains, while Asian American women's earnings were $36,092, 87.2% of
men's, a slight drop from the previous year.

Good luck in your job search!
Sue Campbell,
1st-Writer.com - over 18 years
experience helping clients achieve their career and business goals. Feel free to
e-mail me
with any questions you may have. I'll be glad to help!